Because I'm In Love With You Stupid
by SSidle
Summary: The Jeffersonian's Winter Ball shakes things up a bit for the gang. BB, HA, and ZOC. Response for CullensBullpen December Challenge.


_You are invited to the Jeffersonian's 2006 Winter Ball_

_Saturday, December 30_

_6:00pm_

_Formal Attire Required_

_Note: Attendance for employees is mandatory unless an irresolvable conflict arises. See me immediately if in said situation._

_Mark Carrington, Director_

"Jack! You have to go!"

"Why? So that I can waste my time with a bunch of bureaucratic windbags who have nothing better to do than compare wealth over brandy? I think not Angela."

"Oh! You're just…just impossible! Why can't you pretend to be a normal human being for one night?"

"That's just it! It's _not_ normal! It's a pompous, forced situation; and I see no point in going. Why is it so important to you that I go?"

"Let's see…Maybe because I want to go with you. Maybe because I want to spend one frivolous night with you away from the hell we see day after day. To pretend for one night that there's nothing wrong in the world, and no one but us."

"Oh, Angela…" Deflated, Jack could do nothing but pull her tight against himself. She was crying, but it didn't seem as if she even noticed. "Oh, Honey. I'll go. I'm so sorry. I didn't realize you felt that way. Of course I'll go, I'd love to."

Angela hugged him tightly. "Thank -"

"On one condition…" Angela pulled back to glare at him. "You are responsible for keeping the windbags away from me." She laughed and hugged him again before flouncing out of his office with a sassy 'I'll try.' called over her shoulder. Jack stood dumbfounded. She was some piece of work. He smiled thinking that at least she was _his_ piece of work. He shrugged and followed her out to get back to work.

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Tempe stared at the invitation, lost in thought, when Angela waltzed in.

"Hey sweetie. I see you got your invite. Whatcha gonna wear?"

"I'm not going."

"Yes you are, it says you have to."

"I've got a backlog of work for the museum, and that constitutes as an irresolvable conflict."

"No it doesn't. You're just trying to get out of going. Why? It sounds like fun."

"So what if I am? I don't enjoy these functions, and have no desire to go. So why should I?"

"Because it will be fun! Your get to dress up, pamper yourself and then you gat to hang out with us at a party with an open bar, all the while having guys drool over you. What's not to like?"

"I don't know what that means, but it doesn't sound pleasant. But I'm still not going."

"Oh come on, you can't leave me alone with the boys. They'll drive me nuts!"

"I have a lot of work to do…I just don't want to go…alone"

"T o what?" Booth asked as her came in and plopped himself down onto the couch.

Angela looked at her friend with raised eyebrows in an unspoken command. Tempe didn't respond, so Angela decided to work things for her.

"Oh just this winter ball thing she's trying to get out of."

"I am not, I have work to do!"

"Right. I got the invite too. I was just talking to Cam about it. We can all go together."

"I am not going!"

"You have to, Bones, it says it's required"

"I have an irresolvable conflict."

"Work doesn't count. Bones will wait…Bones" He smiled at his own lame joke. "And, besides, you said you didn't _want_ to go. That's different than having work to do."

"So what? Why does it matter if I go or not?"

"We want you there, sweetie." Angela jumped in before a full-blown argument could erupt. It seemed like those two were fighting more than ever before. Everyone had started to feel the strain.

"Yeah, Bones. What fun could we have if the whole squint-squad wasn't there?"

"I'm still not going if I can help it."

Booth and Angela looked at each other and shrugged helplessly. Tempe wasn't going to budge. The two left her with her work, fuming.

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"But sir, I really must insist that I am excused from attending. I have pressing work to be done."

"Doctor Brennan, you must be present at this function. It would not look good for the Jeffersonian if our top anthropologist is not in attendance." Tempe was in the director's office pleading her case not to go. She was yet unsuccessful however.

"But if I was to be absent on account of working, wouldn't that show how those working for this institution are dedicated and don't allow anything to stand between them and their work?"

"Be that as it may, I maintain my position. You must be there. I'm sorry."

Tempe took a deep breath to calm herself; it wouldn't be a good idea to blow up at the man who could fire her on the spot.

"Thank you for your time sir." She left with fists clenched and her breathing labored. She didn't understand why everyone was so adamant that she attends the ridiculous party. It served no purpose for her to be there…and she really didn't want to see a certain person with his girlfriend, it hurt her on a normal day-to-day basis. It would just be worse at a formal occasion, especially when she would be alone. Tempe shook herself out of her thoughts, it did her no good to brood, and she got nothing done that way. She would just have to find someone to go with and maintain a positive attitude. She didn't need a relationship anyway, especially with someone whom it would be inappropriate to have one with.

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Angela was waiting in her office for her when she returned. One look at her face told Angela that she'd been denied.

"Let me guess. He said the same thing the rest of us did."

"In a way. He told me it would look bad if their top anthropologist wasn't in attendance. I have to go."

"Good. Now we can go shopping."

"For what?"

"What we're going to wear, of course."

"But I have appropriate attire already."

"No you don't. You need something that will know the socks off your hunky FBI agent."

"Angela." Tempe sighed. "He's with Camille…And besides, I'm not interested in Booth that way, as I've told you before."

"Sure, whatever you say, Sweetie. We're still going shopping, no matter what you say. You cannot wear the same dress to more than one formal occasion, it's tacky. Besides, I want to pick your dress out. The stuff you pick out is always too conservative."

"It's elegant."

"It's boring, and stuffy. Let loose for a change. Come on, Tempe, let's go shopping."

"Well…I guess I can."

"Good, we're going after work today. We'll grab dinner while we're out."

"Ok."

"It's a date." Angela left Tempe feeling as if she'd just been run over by a train; Angela had a tendency to do that to people when she wanted something. She had them agreeing before they even realized what she was asking. It baffled Tempe.

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At exactly five Angela came into Tempe's office with her coat and bag in hand. As Tempe saved what she was working on and got her stuff together, Angela just stood there, jingling her keys. Patience wasn't a virtue to Angela, just a nuisance.

"Geeze! How long does it take you to get out of here? I said we'd leave after work."

"That isn't usually five for me. I don't normally leave until at least seven."

"Ok, after work for me. And every other normal person around here. Oh right, that's just me." Angela laughed.

"Wait. Doesn't Jack usually drive you? Am I driving?"

"Yes, he usually drives, but I got my car on the way back from lunch so we could go. I shop longer than you. So this way you can leave when you're done, before you get cranky."

"I don't get cranky, I just don't enjoy the crowds, especially this time of year." Tempe sounded like a sulky child, it made Angela smile.

"Ok, whatever. Let's just get out of here. Hurry up already."

"I'm ready, we can go."

The two of them headed out together, but stopped and stared when they saw Zach and the new grad student, Katie, making out heatedly in a back corner of the lab. The two were shocked; Zach had always been so awkward around the opposite sex, and Katie was almost his polar opposite. She was outgoing, open and obviously more socially confident than Zach. But it appeared that they were getting along just fine. Tempe and Angela looked at each other, desperately trying to hold back laughter. They got out of there as fast and silently as they could. As soon as they were outside, they burst out laughing. That had been a sight they would never forget.

All the way to the mall they talked and speculated about the pair. It was something Tempe would only do when around Angela, mostly because Angela was able to explain things to her. But once they entered the mall, Angela became all business. To Tempe, it was like a general preparing for battle. Angela made a game plan of the stores they would hit, debated who would have the best deals, and what stores would fit their styles best. Store after store, Angela had Tempe trying on an innumerable amount of dresses. All were sleek, sexy and most definitely not what Tempe would have picked out for herself. It was in the second to last store in the plan that Angela came out of a maze of racks carrying the dress she had deemed to be perfect. Angela shoved Tempe into the fitting room with it, demanding a look as soon as she had it on. Tempe cautiously put on the revealing red dress. Even she would admit it looked incredible on her. It was a bright, bold red that oddly enough accentuated her pale skin and brought out the red tones in her hair. It was an almost Victorian inspired dress, with an elegantly beaded, slightly heart-shaped, corset style top that laced up the back and gave way to a silky skirt that flowed with her every movement. The dress was sexy, daring and so different from her normal style that it was perfect for her. When Tempe opened the fitting room door, Angela squealed and made her spin to see the whole thing.

"Oh my god! It's perfect! You look incredible!"

"I really like this one. This is the one, I'm getting it."

"Yay!!! See, I told you I could find you something!"

Angela disappeared back into the racks in search of her own dress while Tempe changed. It took Angela only a few minutes to find a dress for herself she'd deemed perfect. It was a rich, deep turquoise color that looked great with her skin tone. The neckline was a deep vee that came daringly low. The dress hugged her body, showing off her feminine curves. It hit the floor, but had a rounded, sweeping slit in it on the right side that showed off her leg up to her thigh. It was an incredibly sexy dress without being trampy. It fit Angela to a tee, both in size and personality. The women left the mall with their purchases happily. Tempe was still a bit shocked that they'd found something she loved so much. The thrill of wearing the fantastic dress almost made the bother of having to go to the party worthwhile. Almost.

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In order to make Tempe feel less awkward about going alone, Angela and Jack booked a limo to take the group to the ball. They picked up Tempe first, then Zach and Katie. Angela was understanding of her friend's feelings and left Booth and Cam to get themselves there. Once at the hotel the event was being held at, the Formal Room at the Grand Omni Hotel. They walked in and immediately loved the beautiful, elegant decorations. The room was decked out in a white and pale blue winter theme, with snowflakes and glitter everywhere. The group found their table and the guys left to get drinks for the women. Angela, Tempe and Katie sat there talking about the various people there as they people watched. Tempe was just pointing out a woman dress was tucked into her underwear in the back, but stopped dead when she spotted Booth and Cam come in, arm in arm. Angela saw her friend's face and immediately knew what happened. She turned around and saw the focus of Tempe's attention. Booth and Cam had started to make their way over to them. Angela turned back and saw Tempe take a deep breath and square her shoulders. Her heart went out to her friend.

"Hey guys. Sorry, we're kinda late. _Somebody _took forever to get ready." Booth laughed while Cam made a fake offended look.

"I'm sorry. I've never been to one of these things and I was nervous."

"You look fine. Anyways, where are Zach and Hodgins? And who are you?" Booth asked, realizing that he didn't recognize the other woman at the table."

Tempe rolled her eyes. "The guys are getting drinks, and this is Katie, she's our new grad student."

"There's another one?"

"Yes, since Zach finished his doctorate, Katie was able to join us."

"That's cool." Booth had been about to sit, but stopped when Tempe got up to greet someone and he got his first look at her dress. He had to catch himself before his jaw dropped. She looked amazing, the dress incredible.

Cam saw the way Booth was staring and cleared her throat. "Uh, Seeley. Would you be a sweetheart and get us some drinks?"

"What? Oh, yeah sure. He stayed where he was a moment longer then left quickly for the bar. As he stood waiting for the drinks, he mentally reprimanded himself. Bones was out of his league. There was no way they would end up together. She wasn't interested in a relationship, and he shouldn't be either. She was his work partner, they'd become friends and it would be stupid, he thought, to ruin that because he'd stupidly fallen in love with her. It had been a realization he'd come to a few weeks before, and it had hit him like a ton of bricks, he was in love with Temperance Brennan. His first reaction to realizing it had been, _You are an idiot_. Even though he knew he couldn't have Bones, he had already decided that he was going to end things with Cam. It wasn't fair to lie to her, or to himself for that matter. When he returned to the table, Jack and Zach were back, but Tempe was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey, where's Bones?"

"Nice to see you too Booth." Jack answered sarcastically.

"Sorry. Hi, Jack, Zach. Now, where's Bones?"

"She's dancing with some guy she said she knew. David or something like that."

"David?!" He looked to Angela, the only other person who knew the man Tempe had dated for a while. Angela smiled and nodded. "What's _he_ doing here?"

"His company donates money all the time, so he's the rep for them for this thing."

Tempe danced with him for a number of songs while they talked and caught up. David was happy to be able to spend time with her, away from Booth. He was even happier that Booth was there with someone other than Tempe. He hadn't been able to take Booth always taking precedence in _their _relationship. But all good things come to an end, and soon Tempe was insisting she return to her friends and coworkers. He would have come with her, but he was taken aside by the people he'd come with, he promised to get back to her later.

When Booth saw her start back to the table, without David, he immediately got up and went to her. Cam was off dancing with the director, _Mark Carrington_. Booth didn't really care that she was with someone else, it was just that he'd been left behind for the bigwig just because the guy was 'important'. Booth did not smile as he took Tempe's arm and silently led her out of the ballroom and out into an empty hallway.

"Booth! What is you problem?!"

"My problem? You're the one ignoring your friends to dance the night away with some sleezeball who dumped you!"

"Our schedules didn't mesh! It's not like he cheated on me or anything. And we were only dancing. Why do you care anyways?"

"I don't like the guy. I don't trust him."

"What's your point Booth?"

"Look, I just don't want to see you get hurt!"

"Why does it matter to you?"

"Bones, I care about you. Ok?"

"I care about you too Booth, friends do. But why does my romantic life concern you?"

"It doesn't. It shouldn't, but …"

"But what, Booth?"

"It _does_ concern me. I want it to concern me."

"I don't know what you're trying to say. But I'd still like to know why you're always so concerned about me, Booth. You worry about me more than even Angela. I want to know why."

Booth was silent for a long time. He stared over her head for a long time without answering.

"Booth?…Booth, I'd like an answer!"

"Because I'm in love with you , stupid! Flat-out, hopelessly head-over-heals in love with you Bones. I can't help it."

"You're…in love with me."

"Yeah, came as a shock to me too." He looked into her utterly taken aback face, and immediately regretted saying anything. "Look, Bones, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said anything. I don't want to ruin our friendship, just-" Booth was cut off by his phone ringing, it played some silly song that confused Tempe, it talked about a sponge and a pineapple, or something of the sort. He answered, and his pained look immediately melted into a smile. Tempe knew it was Parker, he was the only one she'd seen be able to put a look like that on his face. Booth walked away a bit while he talked, but was finished quickly and came back to face her. "Sorry. Parker just wanted to tell me about the videogame I bought him for Christmas. Anyways…I'm sorry, Bones. I didn't mean to-" He was cut off again, but this time it was Tempe kissing him. They stood there for some time, in a world of their own.

Angela and Jack went looking for the two of them. They'd seen Booth and Tempe leave, but they hadn't come back and Angela worried. They stopped when they came up on Booth and Tempe wrapped up in each other. Jack gave Angela a look to stop her from squealing, he didn't think it would be a good idea to interrupt them. He leaned over to whisper in her ear.

"You win."

She whispered back. "I knew I would. It took them long enough though…Wow, Booth looks like a pretty good kisser. I'll have to ask her later." She knew she was challenging him. He couldn't back down from a challenge. Jack didn't disappoint.

Epilogue:

Booth broke up with Cam as soon as they got back to the party, she didn't take it hard

Cam went home with Mark

Tempe went home with Booth

Jack and Angela went to the park (winkwink) then to his place

Zach and Katie simply got a room at the hotel

A/N: Ok, I just have to say that I haven't read any of the other entries for this challenge, so any similarities are purely coincidental. Hugs and love --SSidle--


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